The best technologies to use for a phygital experience in retail
Karen Savage
Head of Sales at Anyline
In years past, it was common for businesses to assume that the physical and digital experiences were two entirely separate playing fields in terms of the experience that they needed to offer to their customers. Today, they are one and the same.
The act of combining these two fronts has become more critical than ever, especially when it comes to differentiating a business from its competitors. People want to begin a transaction in a store and finish it online, or vice versa. They want the freedom to shop when they want, where they want, how they want.
That, in essence, is what the “phygital” experience in retail is all about. It allows businesses to bring together the best elements of both worlds in a seamless experience fit for the modern era. As you make your own journey into the “phygital” world, there are a few key technologies that you’ll want to leverage along the way.
The core elements of the phygital retail experience
Overall, a legitimate “phygital” experience in retail will depend on a few key things. These include:
- An emphasis on immersion, meaning that you’re going out of your way to make the customer an active participant in their experience.
- A sense of immediacy, which involves making sure that you’re always getting the right message in front of the right person at precisely the right time.
- An environment of interaction, which lets customers touch, feel and engage with your products – regardless of where they choose to do so.
Successful phygital retail experiences are convenient, fast, and engaging. So what are the best technologies for bringing the best phygital experience to your customers?
More buying options with BOPIS and curbside pickup
All told, many of the technologies that are empowering this bold new era of retail are all about one thing: giving customers as many buying options and choices as possible.
Case in point: curbside pickup options, which the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown to be increasingly valuable. Shoppers can begin a transaction online and even pay for their order, all while still having the ability to come to your physical location to pick it up if they choose to do so.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
With augmented reality, customers can use their smartphone or other mobile devices to literally envision a product in a real-life environment. This is particularly helpful when it comes to things like furniture shopping where they may feel like they enjoy an item, but just aren’t sure whether it will fit in with their current decor.
Virtual reality is a similar concept on a different scale. Many retailers are using innovative techniques to let customers experience and even interact with their products from the comfort of their own homes, all so that those customers can be completely certain that their hard-earned money is being spent on exactly what they want.
Endless aisles to keep up with supply and demand
Endless aisle is the concept of buying items in stores and having them delivered at home – or whatever location they prefer. Endless aisle allows retailers to have little to no stock in their brick-and-mortar location (only display items are needed). It’s also possible to turn this into a self-service experience, with ordering kiosks or even mobile apps.
Checkoutless retail with Scan and Go
Finally, “Scan and Go” technology has made a big impact on the retail experience in the last few years. Consider the fact that part of the reason why people enjoy shopping online is because it is nothing if not convenient. In just a few quick clicks, people can have virtually any item delivered right to their door in a couple of days.
But what if they don’t want to wait a few days? What if they want their item now but don’t want the hassle of wading through a seemingly-endless checkout line of other customers in order to do it?
That is where “Scan and Go” technology comes in handy. It’s a technique that retailers like Apple have been using for years. After signing up for an account, a customer can literally walk into a store, pick up and scan an item, pay for it and leave – all using their mobile phone and all without ever interacting with a retail employee.
It saves a tremendous amount of time (especially around the holidays) and creates a better customer experience, which in and of itself is the most important goal of all.
Customer experience still is the Holy Grail
In the end, especially as retailers continue to struggle in the wake of the events of the last few years, the prioritization of the customer experience is paramount.
People want to be loyal to the brands they enjoy. They want to invest in products and services that they believe in. But they don’t want to be inconvenienced in order to do it. Embracing technologies like these – and the “phygital” retail experience in general – are how brands have been doing precisely that.